Setting up your own radio station is an exciting process – curating the perfect sound, building your audience, and sharing the music you love. But once you start getting your files together, there’s one detail that often gets overlooked in the rush to get on air: metadata. Think of metadata, the information attached to a track like the Artist and Title, as more than just labels on a file. It’s the vital information that tells every system, from your listeners' car dashboards to the legal licensing bodies, exactly what is happening on your stream. Getting it right isn't just about looking professional; it's about building a station that is legally protected, runs efficiently, and provides the best experience for your audience.
1. Powering Your Station Tools
Metadata provides the essential instructions for the tools you use to run your station. Whether you’re using Live365’s tools or your own automation, these systems rely on this data to know exactly what it’s playing.
Metadata is the functional "link" that allows AutoDJ and track rotation logic to work. This data is also what our system uses to ensure your station remains compliant with DMCA (Digital Millennium Copyright Act) standards. When your tracks are labeled accurately, the system can manage your library effectively, giving you a wider selection of songs and much better variety. To keep your station professional and compliant with legal standards, you’ll need to make sure your tracks meet these standards:
- Label tracks accurately with their Title and Artist at minimum.
- Avoid blank metadata fields.
- Ditch generic placeholders. Labels like "Unknown Artist," "Unknown Album," or "Track 01" prevent your station's automation and listener displays from working the way they were designed.
- One song per file. Avoid uploading "megamixes" or files containing multiple songs as a single track. Our licensing reporting relies on a 1:1 match between an audio file and its metadata. (Note: If you’re using cue sheets with external automation or our MultiTrack to trigger multiple metadata events within one file, please ensure your system and cue sheet are configured correctly to report each individual performance.)
2. The Critical Requirement: Licensing & Compliance
While metadata helps your station run smoothly, it also serves a much more serious purpose: It’s the legal foundation of your station.
At Live365, we provide our broadcasters with a comprehensive licensing coverage for your performances in the US, Canada, Mexico, and the UK. However, that coverage isn't just a blanket guarantee – it’s contingent upon the receipt of accurate, real-time metadata for every copyrighted track you play.
The Reporting Link
To be covered under our agreements with the Performance Rights Organizations (PROs), we must provide accurate metadata for every performance so artists get paid. This data is the only way for licensing bodies to verify what has been played.
If a performance is missing metadata or uses a placeholder like "Unknown Artist," it’s functionally a blank field. Because this data is unidentifiable to the licensing bodies, those tracks cannot be reported and, therefore, do not qualify for licensing coverage.
Solutions for your Setup
Whether you’re a hobbyist or a terrestrial broadcaster, we’re here to help you navigate these requirements and keep your station protected.
- For Cloud-Based Broadcasters: We generally recommend adding or correcting your metadata locally on your computer before you upload them to your Dashboard. This ensures that the metadata remains with your master files. While you can edit metadata within the Live365 interface, those changes only apply to the cloud copy. We recommend using MusicBrainz Picard to automate this process.
- For Terrestrial & Live Encoders: If you are primarily live encoding, syncing metadata requires a specific technical setup between your automation software and our servers. If you aren't currently sending metadata through your live stream, reach out to us at [email protected] and we’ll walk you through the available solutions for your specific setup.
Metadata isn't just "extra credit" for your station's aesthetic – it’s the link that ties your station to the legal protection it needs to stay on the air. By ensuring your metadata is complete and accurate, you’re securing your station’s future and making sure the artists you love are properly recognized for their work.
Happy broadcasting!
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Article Image: A close-up of Apple Carplay with song metadata on the screen. (ifeelstock via DepositPhotos.)
